Cap-scrubbing element for crown-corking machines.



E. COURT. CAP SCRU'BBING ELEMENT FOR CROWN CORKING MACHINES. APPLICATIONFILED 050.27. 19 5.

L1. 9mm. Patented July 11, 1916.

' Elli.

3mm M) 641102] TEN @TATEE PATENT FFTEEQ EDWARD COURT, OF MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 GEORGE J. MEYER, OF MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN.

CAP-SCRUBBING ELEMENT FOR CROWN-CORKING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July JUL, 1916.

Application filed December 27, 1915. Serial No. 68,641.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD COURT, a citizenof the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gap- Scrub'bing Elements for CroWn-Corking Machines; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention refers to crown corklng machines and has for its object toprovidea simple, economical and effective means in connection with thefeed throat of such machines forcleansing the inner surfaces of thecrown caps as they travel from the hopper in uniform order to thecrlmplng head.

In practice it has been found that the crown corks as supplied frommanufacturers are more or less coated with fine metallic particles andother foreign matter which accumulate due to the abrasive contact of thecaps as they shift about in bulk within the hopper. Hence the foreignparticles will accumulate upon the cork disk filler, which filler isthereafter exposed to the fluid contents of the corked bottle, wherebyserious contamination of the product results. My invention is designedto overcome these objectionable features, whereby the crown corks arethoroughly dry scoured to render them sanitary by subjecting said capsto an abrasive or scrubbing element.

lVith the above objects in view the invention consists in certainpeculiarities of construction and combination of parts as set forthhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequentlyclaimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a fragmentary elevation of acrown-corking machine of a well known type having attached thereto anabrasive element embodying the features of my invention, which element,in this exemplification, is shown in the form of a rotary brush; Fig. 2,an enlarged detail cross-section of the brush mechanism, the sectionbeing indicated by line 22 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3, a cross-section of thesame, the section being indicated by line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1 represents the hopper of acrown corking machine having a revoluble crimping head 2 thereunder,which crimping head comprises a centering disk 3 and a series ofcrimping barrels 4 positioned thereover.

'The hopper is provided with a discharge travel by'gravity to thecrimping head. The

crown caps are of the usual type having some form of pliable disk Bfitted therein, which is preferably composed of cork. The crimpingmachine and crown corks form no part of my invention and therefore arenot described in detail. The throat 5 is, as best shown in Figs. 1 and2, provided with an intermediate outwardly bowed section A with the openportion facing outwardly, whereby the caps as they travel downwardlypresent a clear field for access to their in ner faces which contain thecork disks. The hopper neck has projecting therefrom a revoluble' shaft8 carrying a drive-pulley 8, whereby motion is transmitted to thescrubbing or abrading element. In this exemplification of my inventionthe bowed portion C of the skeleton trough 5 has secured thereto abracket 9 having legs projecting outwardly that terminate with journalboxes 9 in which are mounted a brush spindle 10. One end of the brushspindle carries a comparatively small pulley 8", which is adapted to berevolved at a right angle to the drive pulley 8 and is connected theretoby a twisted belt 11. The brush spindle carries a brush head 10' havingprojecting therefrom a series of brushing tufts 12, which tufts, whenrotated are adapted to enter the juxtaposed bowed portion of the throat5 and engage the inner surfaces of the crown caps as they travel past avertical line intersecting the axis of the brush and the axis of thebowed portion C of said throat, the brush being revolved in the oppositedirection from that of travel of the crown caps.

From the foregoing description it will be manifest that when motion isimparted to the crown corking machine, this motion is transmitted to therotatory scrubbing brush, which brush develops comparatively highrspeedand its tufts revolving over the inner surfaces of the caps will'thusthoroughly scrub or cleanse the same from any foreign particles that mayadhere to the inner surface of the caps. These particles or refuse whichare removed from the caps i not shown.

by scrubbing are :preferably trapped in a collecting hopper '13, whichis positioned under the brush, as shown, and the said refuse may be thendelivered from the collecting hopper into any desiredreceptacle,

It ispbViousthat, whilelhave shown a scrubbing element vin the form of atufted ibrush,i"any' suitable scrubbing device other than that-'illustrated may be employed with- .outdeparting from the spirit of myinvention. 7

I claim:

1. The combinationof a crown-corking machine comprising a hopper,acrimping head, and a throat leading from the hopper in communicationwith the head through which 'crowncorks are adapted to travel with theirinner surfaces uniformly exposed, and ascrubbing element juxtaposing thefeed throat adapted to successively engage the inner surfaces of saidcaps.

2. The combination of a crown-corking machlnecomprlsmg a hopper, acrlmping in communication with the head through which crown corks areadapted to travel 1.

the feedthroat adapted to successively cngage the inner surfaces of saidcaps.

3. The comb1nat1on of a crown corklng machine comprising a hopper, acrimping head and a skeleton feed throat 1n communication with the headand hopper, the throat being bowed outwardly-in the direction of itsskeleton surface, the said throat being adapted 'to receive crown corkswitli their inner surfaces projecting toward the skeleton face of thethroat, and a rotatory scrubbing brush uxtaposing the aforesaid skeletonface of the throat for successive engagement with the inner surfaces ofthe crown j caps as they travel past said brush.

4. The combination of a crown corking ,machine having a hopper, arevoluble shaft projecting therethrough, a crimping head positionedunder the hopper, a throat in ..communication with the hopper headhaving a portion thereof apertured, a revoluble -brush adapted to enterthe throat at the apertured portion thereof, a pulley carried by thebrush, a pulley carried by the crown corking machine shaft, and a beltconnection {between the pulleys.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atMilwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wis- Yconsinin thepresence of two witnesses.

EDWARD COURT. Witnesses:

Geo. W. YOUNG, M. E; DowNEY.

head, and a throat leading fromthe hopper "Copies of ;this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

i l Washington, D. G.

